The New York Daily News recently explores just how many sexual partners the ladies of this city have had. The reporter seems a little shocked to learn that Sex and the City is a pretty fair representation of that number, while we were shocked to learn that the average American woman has only nine sexual partners in her lifetime.

But when we think of women like our little sister, who is 24 and still with her first boyfriend, the "average" makes sense. Because the number for New York women is twice the national average.

Of the four women, public relations exec Samantha racked up the most sexual partners. She bedded 41 men and one woman, while Carrie hooked up with 18, Charlotte 18 and Miranda 17.

Everyone has a "number." But how many is too many and were the "Sex and the City" women oversexed?

Definitely - compared to the average American woman, who has nine sex partners in a lifetime, according to a survey by the Durex brand of condoms. But compared to the average New Yorker, they were right on target.

According to Karyn Bosnak, who researched the topic for her novel "20 Times a Lady" - about a New Yorker who vows to have sex with a maximum of 20 men - the typical New York City woman's number is twice the national average.

"Women in other parts of the country tend to get married much younger. It's not a big deal to be single in your 30s in New York," says Bosnak, "There's also the anonymity factor. You can date men from different social circles here. If you have 20 sex partners and you live in a small, rural town, that's not good.

"I stopped counting at 56," says Christine, 35, a locations director from Bayside who lives in SoHo. "There are so many opportunities to meet men here - bars, restaurants, clubs, walking down the street, the deli. Men are everywhere."

Brooklynite Linda, who has been with 13 men, agrees. "I'm married now, but when I was single, I had a blast. Sex was empowering. I once had sex on [the] F train. It was three in the morning and the car was empty. So we were like, 'Why not,'" says the 39-year- old Carroll Gardens artist.

Sex on the F train?... hey, we think we actually saw that one happening, Linda.